


Iwatobi-chan Death Cult

by Neigedens



Category: Free!
Genre: Canon Divergent, Coming In Pants, Drunken Kissing, Free! Kink Meme, M/M, Masturbation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-18
Updated: 2013-10-20
Packaged: 2017-12-26 22:49:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/971212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neigedens/pseuds/Neigedens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin accidentally ends up at an Iwatobi party, where Haru has had a little too much to drink.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt at the Free! kinkmeme. The prompt and the original fic posted in the thread can be found [here](http://iwatobiswimclub.dreamwidth.org/1476.html?thread=1785796#cmt1785796).
> 
> My tumblr URL is koumatora. Hit me up but only if you want to have really serious discussions about serious topics. Like Swimming Anime.

As the seasoned man of the world he undoubtedly was, Rin had seen a lot of things he had rather not. Well. A few, anyway. Like once he'd gotten into a bar fight with a huge white Australian who Rin had insulted and then unsuccessfully tried to convince it was all a misunderstanding due to Rin not being fully fluent in English. (The man had not believed this lie for a second.) There had been the 2 girls, 1 cup viewing party with the guys in his dorm. Also...well, ok, that was about it, but still. For 17, Rin thought this counted as a pretty hard-boiled life.

But of all the things he had seen, one thing he would have liked to never see again, as long as he lived, was the sight of Haru drunk.

It wasn't even that Haru sober was even that _graceful_ , but there was a certain fluidity to his movements that was missing when he was drunk. It was disturbing. All he was doing was standing there, rocking from side to side like he was on a boat that was about to capsize. Worse, his expression was still the same semi-constipated look of seriousness he always wore. It was only when he spoke that you really realized how far gone Haruka Nanase really was. For the past 20 minutes, he'd had been attempting to give out these horrible Iwatobi-chan keychains to all the party guests.

"He's actually doing much better now," said Nagisa sagely, and Rin jumped. 

"What?" he snapped.

"He tried to hand them out once before, you know, to recruit people for our swim club," explained Nagisa, as if Rin had asked, or cared. "Would you believe, he's actually doing better now."

Haru was currently invading the personal space of a fellow party guest as he explained to her painstakingly about the pathos of the rockhopper penguin.

"Oh my. Perhaps we should tell him that he's getting a bit too much in her face, shouldn't we?" asked Speedo Glasses, who, as far as Rin could tell, was never far from Nagisa's side. Rin wasn't sure which of them he felt more sorry for.

"Don't bother," said Nagisa as he giggled into his drink, although Makoto had already intervened and was pulling Haru away as they spoke. "After all, Haru-chan's the host, isn't he?" 

This was true. Rin had decided to accompany the Samezuka swim team to the party on a whim, but it wasn't until they were on the train and almost there that Nitori had informed him that the party, in fact, was at Nanase's house.

When Rin had arrived almost two hours ago, no one seemed more shocked that Haru was hosting a party than Haru himself. Rin hadn't wasted much attention on him-- what did they have to say to each other, after all? -- and instead had found his sister, who was more visibly bothered by the amount of people in Haru's house than Haru was.

"It's all Nagisa's fault!" she told him, after giving him the requisite hug that he accepted with only one arm. "The party was his idea because he knew Haruka-senpai wouldn't really mind, but Nagisa invited the. _Entire_. Track team, and somehow it just took off from there. Thankfully it's been pretty low-key so far, but..."

"You're the one who told Captain Mikoshiba about this, Gou-chan!" Nagisa had said, popping up behind them both like a goddamn specter.

"I just…told _him_ , I didn't invite the entire team!" she said, her face turning so red even Rin was a bit amused.

"That's not how he took it," Rin said. "Mikoshiba's not the kind of guy who picks up on subtle cues like that, you know."

"Well. I'm sure it'll be alright. Haru seems to be taking it in stride, at least."

This was because, it turned out, several of Rin's own Samezuka teammates had been plying Haru with booze since they walked in. Rin had missed almost all of this action after being cornered by his old coach Sasabe.

"Rin! Have a drink."

"I'm fine--"

"No, you must. You must have a drink, Rin-kun. You must. You must tell me all about Australia. I want to hear everything. Everything."

Sasabe had been a pretty good swimmer in his prime, but Rin thought he'd missed his calling; he was keeping Rin pinned to one spot with the efficiency of a wrestler. Rin was only saved (if you could call it that) by Makoto.

"Catching up?" said Makoto, smiling softly at both of them. Throughout the party, Rin had seen him darting here and there, talking to people, smoothing things over, as if he were the host and not Haru. 

"Yes, yes, yes. Good times. Glad you invited me, Makoto. Glad you kids could break loose for an evening. You've been working so hard. They've been working so hard," Coach Sasabe said to Rin, who grimaced. Sasabe had been detailing how hard the Iwatobi club had been working for the past twenty minutes.

"Say, Makoto," said Sasabe, changing the subject abruptly, "maybe you should go check on Haru. He was looking a little rough when he walked by earlier." Rin had seen Haru go by but he hadn't noticed much about him one way or the other. Apparently while he was pontificating, Sasabe had a talent for keeping track of anyone in his path who could potentially be drawn into the never-ending void of his conversation. "Think Nanase-kun might have a little too much to drink!"

"Haru?" said Makoto, as if he didn't know who that was. "Haru, drinking? I don't think so, Haru would _never_ \--"

Before he could finish, there was a crash from the kitchen. Everyone rushed over to see a huge vat of ice that Haru had just dumped on the floor. He slipped off his shoes and socks and pulled his shirt over his head before laying down on the slushy pile of ice, to the paralytic shock of everyone watching him.

"This is amazing," Haru said, speaking more loudly than Rin had ever heard him speak. He rolled over onto his stomach. "This is amazing. It's like a lake of ice. It's amazing. It's like being in water and on fire at the same time. It's amazing."

"Haru!"

Makoto had eventually gotten Haru to put his clothes back on, and together with the help of Rin's sister and some of the track team they were cleaning up the kitchen. Haru had been banished to the living room, where he had taken to standing on the table and handing out the Iwatobi-chan keychains with increasing intensity for the past half hour. Makoto, who looked like a harried mother whose children have spent the afternoon painting on the walls, came over to Nagisa to confer, and Rin couldn't extricate himself from the group in time to avoid overhearing their conversation.

"He's very bad, isn't he?" said Makoto. "I tried to make him drink water but he got distracted."

"Distracted from water," said Nagisa, shaking his head. "It's a bad sign. It's a very bad sign, Mako-chan. What are we to do?"

"I would stay here overnight," said Makoto hesitatingly, "but I have to be at home tomorrow morning to babysit the twins. Maybe I should take him with me and make him sleep it off at my place."

"No," said Haru. Rin jumped for the second time that evening and turned around to find Haru standing close to him, but he was speaking to Makoto. Drunk Haru seemed to have a definite problem with personal space. "No, I won't have it. I want to take a bath. Get all these people out of here, Makoto. I want to take a bath."

And, like the whipped donkey he really was, Makoto did this with a minimum of fuss. Getting all the people out of the house was easier than it looked. The party was ending naturally and people were starting to clear out, to say their goodbyes and make their way towards the train station.

"It's the Iwatobi-chan keychains," said Nagisa, who was still clinging to Rin's side somehow.

"What do you mean?"

"They drive people away. It's like they're cursed."

The Samezuka team was getting ready to leave when Rin's sister came over to find him. "Seijuurou-san said you got permission to spend tomorrow visiting home. Are you going to come with me, then?" she asked, smiling sweetly even after he assented with a grunt. "Good! I'm almost ready. Give me a few minutes and we can go."

"Seijuurou-san now, is it?" called Nagisa after her, but she didn't even turn around. He laughed and followed her, along with Speedo Glasses after him. Suddenly Rin was alone in the living room. For the moment.

Rin rolled his eyes and lifted up his plastic cup to finish his drink. When he lowered it, he nearly choked when he was confronted with the vision of an Iwatobi-chan keychain directly in front of his face.

"Not a fan?" asked Haru. With anyone else Rin might have thought it was a really bad attempt at a joke, but Haru was different. Haru looked like he was honestly asking for his opinion, which Rin was only too obliged to give him.

"Those things are fucking horrible, Haru," he said. "You're lucky you swim better than you...whittle." The insult, admittedly, had sounded a lot better in his head. He tried to rebound. "It's like you're trying to recruit members to some Iwatobi-chan death cult."

Haru nodded, and he thrust the keychain into Rin's hand, entangling their fingers. "For you. Good night." He turned to go up the stairs. Rin glared at his retreating back, but a second later he was accosted by his sister again.

"Onii-chan, you have to go with him and make him go to bed. When he tries to take a bath he'll probably pass out in the tub."

"So?"

" _So_ , if your major rival dies a mysterious death by drowning while in the same house as you, you'll never be an Olympic swimmer," she said darkly. "The scandal will follow you wherever you go and you'll never win a gold medal. Now get up there!"

He rolled his eyes but decided that if he was going to spend a few days in the same house as her, he might as well get on her good side. When he got upstairs, he slid open the door to Haru's bedroom. Haru was there, dressed only in his swim trunks, struggling to get his shirt over his head. He stopped briefly when he heard the door open. "Makoto?"

Rin snorted and leaned against the door frame. "Just how much did you _drink_ , Haru?"

Haru pulled the shirt over his head finally and stared at Rin, who felt slightly uncomfortable under it for some reason. Even drunk, Haru still managed to piss him off with his silence. "I said good night," said Haru finally. "Why are you still here?"

Something about the question angered Rin further, though it was a perfectly valid thing for Haru to ask. "Are you running a bath? Jesus, go to bed." 

"Go to hell," said Haru. He tried to push past Rin but stumbled. Rin caught him, but he was surprised, too, when Haru didn't throw him off, when Haru instead collapsed onto him. Rin stumbled backwards and landed on his back on Haru's bed. 

"Oops," said Haru, softly, in a voice more like his normal self.

Rin grimaced and pushed Haru over until he was sprawled next to Rin on the bed. "This is a good start," he said, sneering at Haru and raising himself up on one elbow. "Go to bed. You're turning into a belligerent drunk. You're getting kind of physical all of a sudden."

"You should talk. You're the one who's always pushing me around." 

"Whatever."

"It's true," said Haru, shifting. "You grab me and push me around all the time. I've noticed." Rin froze, and suddenly he was uncomfortably aware that he and a shirtless Haru were lying in the bed together. He tried to sit up, but Haru shifted again so he was still on top of Rin, was almost pinning him to the bed. Rin found his hands wrapped around Haru's ribcage and his face was buried in Haru's neck. He could feel Haru's warm, almost feverish skin and even through the alcohol he could smell Haru's body.

 _Shit_ , he thought. Haru shifted so he was sitting almost right in Rin's lap, his mouth next Rin's ear. Every logical part of Rin's brain was screaming at him to _move_ goddammit, but there was this horrible lightness in his chest, this trembling feeling that seemed to go right down to his dick. He stayed stock-still and heard Haru murmur in his ear.

"Rin…."

"What?" asked Rin in a voice colder than all the ice Haru had tried to swim in earlier.

"I...I." He closed his mouth; he was so close Rin could hear the noises his throat made as he swallowed. "I...have had way too much to drink," he said finally, like he'd studied and reached a grand conclusion. Rin opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, before the words had even formed, Haru's mouth was on his. Whatever he'd been about to say jammed and staticked in his head, and his mind buzzed as they kissed.

Hot, and wet. That was what kissing Haru was like, and anything beyond that Rin didn't even notice. His mind was paralyzed with shock, so it was a few seconds before he realized that he was kissing back, opening his mouth wider and accidentally catching one of Haru's lips on his teeth. Haru didn't even flinch but the action woke Rin out of his trance, made him think through just some of the many consequences here. He turned his head to the side, breathing heavily. Haru's mouth was now pressed against his temple and cheek, and he leaned into Rin more, making a noise between a sigh and word that Rin couldn't make out, even as close as they were.

"What?" asked Rin. "What'd you say?" Like he cared. He just wanted something to distract himself. _Anything_. He wanted to not think, he wanted to return to the headspace where Haru was kissing him and he was kissing back without giving two solitary fucks about anything. 

Instead of responding, Haru moved against him, moved his whole body in a slow roll that pressed the crotch of his swimsuit against Rin and _fuck_. Rin's hands clenched; they were still against Haru's chest, feeling Haru's ribs moving in and out as he breathed.

He could feel Haru's breath, feel it almost blowing in his ear and it made him shudder, but then Haru said something again, something else that Rin couldn't make out, and that was what sent reality crashing back. 

It hit Rin that Haru was so far gone that he probably wouldn't even remember this in the morning. It hit Rin that he, Rin, did have some scruples, and making out with somebody who was so drunk they couldn't speak was one of them. Lastly, and most importantly of all, it severely wounded his pride to think that Haru probably wouldn't even remember any of this after tonight, and Rin would be left to wonder about it every time they saw each other in the future.

Even worse than that: even if Haru _did_ remember, how would Rin ever know? Haru was impervious to a fault, so it was Rin who would be the one left guessing forever, and Haru would remain himself in every way unless Rin actually asked him about it. Rin saw the future right there in that moment, and nothing on earth could have pissed him off more.

He grabbed Haru firmly and pushed him to the side. Haru flopped without protest onto his back, mumbling something.

"Go the fuck to sleep," snapped Rin, standing up. "Fucking hell." This time Haru was too close to passing out to argue. His eyes were fluttering open and closed, but for a second he caught Rin's gaze. 

"The bath," was all he said. That was what he'd been trying to say the whole time, Rin realized sourly. Haru rolled over onto his side, and it was as curt a dismissal as any one Haru might have issued while sober. Rin stood there fuming for a few seconds before realizing what Haru had meant: the dumbass had started running bath water, hadn't he? Rin raced down the hall.

In the bathroom, the tub was full to the brim and just about overflowing. Rin turned off the water and stared for second at the empty tub before grabbing some towels to sop up the puddles on the floor.

After a second, hearing nothing but the sound of the water draining out of the tub, he sank to the floor and leaned against the side of the tub. He was pissed off, so pissed off that he had been hoping the semi he'd developed while Haru had been grinding against his lap would have dissipated. No such luck.

He sat there a bit longer, listening to the silence, before parting his legs slightly. He ran his hand over the front of his shirt, over his stomach. He could feel his abdominal muscles twitch even at the slight contact. He was wired, tense, but he could feel himself relaxing more and more as his hand moved lower.

His mind was still buzzing, though. He could still see Haru rolling his hips slowly, he could still _feel_ the weight of Haru against him, how warm he had been, how Rin had been able to feel and hear his breathing at once.

He ran his hand over the crotch of his pants. He imagined Haru grabbing Rin's cock the way Rin was grabbing it now, feeling it up through the fabric.

Rin kept squeezing, a little harder, as he grimaced because he could just see the expression Haru would have on his face, too. That same impassive look that he always had. Maybe the muscle by his mouth would twitch, just a little. 

To fix it, Rin could see himself grabbing Haru by the hair, and Haru would take the cue and start licking, squeezing Rin's cock and getting it wetter and wetter as Rin tugged harder and harder on his hair. 

Back on the bathroom floor, Rin was wetting two fingers in his mouth and slipping them below the waistband of the track pants he was wearing. He swirled them around the head of his cock, imagining Haru's tongue doing the same.

He had to bite his tongue as he imagined Haru putting his whole mouth around it. Rin would tug on his hair until Haru opened his eyes and looked up at him.

Rin was so into it, could so clearly see the expression in Haru's eyes, that when footsteps came up the stairs he didn't hear them until they were halfway down the hall, and he didn't rip his hands away from his dick until he heard his sister's voice calling softly.

"Onii-chan? Haruka-senpai didn't get in the bath, did he? Because I'm ready to leave if you are." Rin heard her beginning to slide the door open slowly. His face was hot as he raced forward to shut it. 

Unfortunately, he'd forgotten about the soaking wet towels on the floor. He lost his footing and slid. 

Fortunately, the fact that he landed face first on the door was more effective than a cold shower. After standing up, he didn't have to worry about his sister noticing anything except the decent-sized bump on his forehead. 

"Are you sure you're alright?" she said, after looking at his forehead and asking him over and over again whether he thought he had a concussion..

He grunted.

"If it makes you feel any better," she said haltingly, "you didn't wake up Haruka-senpai at all when you fell. He's completely passed out, he didn't notice a thing."

This, of course, didn't cheer him up at all. Still, he only snapped at her again in a perfunctory sort of way; after everything that had happened, his heart wasn't in it. He finally left the Nanase residence, following his sister back to their mother's house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their bodies touch, the angels cry.

Haru woke up with the sun beaming down directly on his face. He'd been awake but suffering too much to open his eyes and let any light in. He was thirsty but could not make himself move. It was agony, the most pure agony he'd ever known.

"I'll never drink again," he said, but his throat was so dry the words died on his lips. 

It was a good thing, too, because the next moment he finally opened his eyes and there, on the bedside table, was a glass of water with a note next to it.

"DRINK THIS, HARU-CHAN!!!!" it advised, somewhat pointlessly. Haru only read the note when the water was already halfway gone.

Instead of going to investigate who was leaving messages in Nagisa's handwriting around his house, he fell back on the bed. He had the sensation you get when you walk into a room and forget what you had come in there for, except in a far more existential sense. Thoughts of walking, rooms, and the abstract idea of remembrance itself were all causing his head to throb. 

Sitting up was another affair entirely. He braced himself as if he were about to lift a huge weight and finally hoisted himself up. He noticed he was still wearing his swimsuit, which reminded him...

Reminded him that he wanted to take a bath, his mind, hungover but no longer exhausted, told him. He wanted to take a bath. He had wanted to last night, in the absence of swimming in an actual pool or the ocean, but had been distracted. Simple.

He was already easing himself down into the tub when Nagisa and Rei came in with a tray.

"We made tea," said Rei, "and we grilled you fish."

"Surprise! Everything is cleaned up. No one will ever know that we used your house for the wildest party Iwatobi has ever had."

"Everyone left before midnight," said Rei as he set down the tray. "I think that hardly counts as the wildest party ever."

"Oh, like you would know," said Nagisa. "How's your head, Haru-chan?"

Haru gave a shrug indicating that it could go either way.

Rei and Nagisa sat down on the floor and the three of them had a weird, impromptu picnic by the side of the tub. It was strange but nevertheless oddly enjoyable. Haru was even quieter than normal as he listened to Rei and Nagisa (mostly Nagisa) tell him about everything about last night.

"You got rid of _every_ Iwatobi-chan," said Nagisa. "Every last one."

Haru nodded. "I remember that." It was probably for the best.

"And you poured out all the ice in the kitchen."

He nodded again. Sounded about right.

"And then...well, then I think most people started leaving? Things got very strange after that. And then all of the Samezuka team left with everyone but Rin-chan. Rin-chan was there too, can you believe it?" 

Rei's mouth twisted slightly. "He still wasn't very friendly, though."

"No, you don't know what you're saying. He was _much_ friendlier than normal. He was very chummy. Wasn't he, Haru-chan?"

Haru froze. His mind was suddenly running very fast, much faster than it had since he'd woken up. He was utterly still, with a piece of grilled fish halfway to his mouth. 

"Oh! Also Goro-chan was there, and he said to make sure we stay hydrated and recover this morning because this afternoon we're having practice with-- no, Haru-chan, no, it's ok, he said he'd go easy on us for once!" Haru's head had slipped under the water. His eyes were open and he was staring glassily at the blue underwater stretch of his tub before Nagisa and Rei made him come up for air.

"Are you alright? Do you need more tea? Does your head hurt?" Rei asked, wincing as Haru shook his head like a dog.

" _Anyway_ ," said Nagisa, who was more annoyed at being interrupted than being splashed, "Goro-chan said not to worry. Plus we have hours until practice starts anyway. You'll be fine."

"Sure," said Haru.

"Plus there will be lots of other people there, so--"

"What?"

"Weren't you _listening_? The Samezuka regional team is coming over to swim in our pool because theirs needs maintenance. Somebody shat in it."

"Nagisa!"

"Well it's true! Samezuka lets elementary school kids have swimming lessons in their pool, and I guess one of the little brats just couldn't hold it in, so--"

"Clear out," said Haru, standing up and stepping out of the tub.

"I told you hearing that would upset him!" said Rei as Haru pushed him and Nagisa out the door.

~

Kou was standing by the front door, calling Rin's name up the stairs until he finally came out of his room. "Are you coming with me?"

"Coming where." 

"To practice! I was going to run to the high school. Do you want to come with me? We'd get there kind of early, but--"

"No." Getting there early was a bad idea. "I'm... going to go for a longer run before practice starts. You couldn't keep up with me."

She gave him a "yeah, right" sort of expression but refused to let him see her disappointed. "Well alright then! I'll see you in just a little bit. I'm so glad that you're coming, and that you're..." 

She trailed off, and he couldn't help himself from prompting her to continue. "That I'm what?"

"That you're...well." She hesitated and suddenly another smile lit up her face. "That you're starting to be friends with those guys again, for one thing!"

"Am I friends with them?" he asked, trying to sound offhand, although it occurred to him that he knew instantly (too quickly) who she meant by "those guys."

"You're swimming with them again, aren't you?"

He grunted.

"You are, at least sometimes." She was smiling at him as if he were an animal raised in captivity who had successfully been integrated into the wild. " _And_ you were at a party with them last night."

"Does that mean we're friends?"

"That absolutely means you're friends," she said, as if this were obvious. "You are absolutely friends, which means that I have absolutely won."

"Won? Won what?"

"Bye, onii-chan. I'll see you at practice!"

"What did you win?" he called after her, following her out the front door and onto the porch. He glared at the retreating yellow of her windbreaker for a bit before he finally looked away, chewing the inside of his cheek.

He decided to run, like he'd told her he would. He started in on his normal route, the one he had always ran when he was home ever since he was a kid. 

This route went through a large park, a nice big one all the way across town, before it looped back around towards Rin's mother's house. Today, however, instead of returning home, or heading towards the school, Rin just kept running around the park path.

At first it was a relief, because his mind, on the surface, was calm. What he had decided overnight, and what he had been thinking about all that morning, was that avoiding confrontation with Haru was imperative. This wouldn't be that hard; even with their so-called improved "friendship," they still didn't have much to say to each other, or much opportunity to say it. Despite what Kou thought, seeing a guy once in a blue moon, taking a dumb keychain from a guy, didn't make you friends. For that matter, making out with a guy, or sort of making out with him, didn't mean you were into him, though the thought made Rin grimace.

Still, Rin knew his own mind, and he knew that avoiding Haru was the easiest way to keep himself out of it, the easiest way to keep his pride (what was left of it) intact. The easiest, the surest way.

The thoughts took such hold of him that when the time for the joint practice came and went, Rin was still jogging. He was still jogging, sweating, running his decision over and over again in his head, just as he was retreading the same park paths again and again.

He could only keep this up for so long, of course; eventually the external situation overtook him. His throat was parched and his bones ached but still he did not stop moving. His exhaustion was bone deep and without end, without reward or solace and that was how he wanted it to be. It fit in well with the previous 24 hours, in a way.

It was nearly seven o'clock by the time he stopped to get a drink at the park's public fountain. Practice would have been finished for over an hour by now. 

Rin thought about the excuses he'd have to make to Kou once he got home, and to Mikoshiba once he got back to school. He stood by the fountain for an instant, all the water dripping off his face and his heart thumping painfully in his throat.

Maybe he had run away all his resolve, or maybe he was only redirecting it. Before he could decide which he was already at Haru's house, knocking at the door.

For once Haru answered promptly, as if he'd been expecting Rin.

"You weren't at practice," he said. Unhelpful.

"I know that," said Rin.

Haru paused. "I suppose we should...talk." But he paused again, only examining Rin with a questioning expression that made Rin fidget.

"Maybe you should let me in first," said Rin, snapping out of it, and Haru snapped out of it too. He stood back to let Rin inside, and it was only then that Rin realized how distracted and disorganized his mind was, because it was only when Haru turned around that Rin saw he was wearing nothing but an apron over his bathing suit.

"Dinner?" asked Haru.

"I'm not hungry." A lie, of course, but accepting food would make it seem like Rin actually wanted to be here, when in fact he'd started to feel as if he was being pulled here inexorably by a lack of anywhere else to go. Haru nodded, though, and started banging around in the kitchen while Rin sat down and looked around at his surroundings. Last night the place had been so full of people he hadn't been able to take in much.

"Where are the hell are your parents, anyway?" he called as Haru brought a steaming hot plate from the kitchen.

"They moved downtown to be closer to his work," he said as he set the dish onto the table.

"Did your grandma go with them?"

"No. She passed away."

"Oh." Shit. "When was that?"

"Two years ago."

"Oh." He watched Haru serve himself and tried to ignore the pang in his gut. "Sorry. I didn't know."

Haru shrugged.

"Why the hell are you eating a hot pot in the middle of the summer?" Rin asked. It was a good a way as any to change the subject. "Why are you making a hot pot without a damn shirt on? Are you nuts?"

Haru shrugged. "I don't mind it. Why? Is it too hot for you?"

"Of course not," Rin snapped. He watched it simmer and was angry that he'd refused Haru's offer, and then was even angrier when he saw that Haru had brought over an extra table setting. He grunted but accepted it, leaned over to serve himself.

They ate in silence, since each attempt at conversation went nowhere. Between them both eating and the fact that they had given over talking, it didn't take them long to finish the meal together. 

His mood improved somewhat as he helped Haru take the dishes into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. He watched Haru put things away and start washing up.

Now that he was well-fed and more alert, Rin noticed something peculiar: Haru was uncomfortable. He cast furtive glances at Rin and fidgeted slightly more when he caught Rin's eye. He was uncomfortable, but he didn't quite have the ability to tell Rin to get lost like he normally might have.

Rin crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter. "Are you ever even going to ask me what I came here for, Haru?"

There was a loud clank and splash of soapy water; the heavy cast-iron pan had slipped in the water. Haru grabbed it, looked at Rin for a second, and then begin scrubbing the pan as he spoke. "I think I should probably apologize to you."

Rin's heart skipped a beat, but it was so quick he couldn't even determine the exact reason why; pleasure at seeing Haru squirm like this, or something more like disappointment. Before he could decide, he snapped: "What?"

"Sorry that I--"

"What is there to apologize for?" said Rin, standing up a little straighter.

"You didn't let me finish," said Haru.

"I'm just _asking_ you, what is there to be sorry for?" asked Rin, sounding not quite as cool as he might have liked.

"I caught you off-guard. I...had an advantage over you. It wasn't fair."

" _Advantage_?" He smirked again. "Advantage? You were falling-down drunk, Haru. How is that an advantage over me at all?"

"That's not what I mean," said Haru, picking up the heavy pan and setting it on the counter to dry with a loud clank. Rin smiled a bit wider, for Haru was visibly annoyed now. "You're thick sometimes, you know that?"

"Sure," said Rin, maybe a little visibly annoyed himself. "You still haven't asked me why I'm here, though."

This was apparently too much. Haru's only response was a shrug, and he turned away. 

"Maybe you're worried," said Rin. He was still smiling, but a harder note had seeped into his voice. "You shouldn't be. I get the picture. I won't bring it up. Obviously it's something we're never gonna talk about again. Maybe you don't even know what 'it' is."

Haru shook his head but didn't look at him.

"But I get it. I get it perfectly. You're sorry. You regret it. You weren't thinking clearly, obviously. Of course I understand." He wasn't even pretending to sound nonchalant now. Whatever easygoing attitude he'd been affecting was gone before he even realized it. Instead of hanging of the counter and sneering, he was watching Haru's every movement with his arms folded tightly over his chest. "Of course I understand! Shit. I'm not as big a douche as you think I am. I'll leave you alone about it. Don't pitch such a fit."

There was another clank, and even louder one. For a second, Rin thought Haru had dropped and broken a plate, but while he was looking down to see, Haru had quietly sidled to stand in front of him.

"You're thick," said Haru, closer than he been since...well, since last night, in fact. "Just listen to me. Stop being such a jackass."

Before Rin could even stop himself, he was grabbing the only article of clothing on Haru that was grabbable: the strap of his apron. He pulled Haru forward, but didn't say anything, just glared, and Haru naturally didn't struggle and only narrowed his eyes in contempt. 

Rin's hand was spasming. He wanted to drop the apron strap, run away and never speak to Haru again, but instead he only clung tighter and glared back.

"Not that I needed an apology," said Rin, "but you're doing a pretty awful job at making one."

Haru's eyes widened in surprise, and he slowly looked down at Rin's fist, so all Rin could see was Haru's hair hanging in his eyes. "Maybe," Haru said, his voice low. He paused, then shrugged again, this time as if giving in. "Fine. Why did you come here, Rin?"

His heart beat faster, but he finally unclenched his fist, let go of Haru without standing back. He looked down, wishing he could see Haru's expression, or at least what there would be of it. 

He thought about trying to explain, about trying to tell Haru...but no. Not now."Never mind," he said. Instead, he reached down to pull at the belt of the apron. "Get rid of this. It's dumb. You look dumb." Like some he belonged on some dumb aquatic Iron Chef spinoff.

Haru let Rin pull the apron off of him and let out a snort that could have been amused or annoyed. Suddenly Rin was extraordinarily sick of having to guess which one it was, so he reached out to tilt Haru's head up and make Haru look him in the eyes.

Before he touched Haru he balked somewhat; instead of grabbing Haru's chin, he touched him gently, and Haru looked up. Rin was taken aback by the sight, by Haru's eyes as they stared at him, by the sight of his own hand cupping Haru's cheek, feeling the warm swell of it in his palm. 

Before he could even take that in, Haru was grabbing him by the wrist, softly, everything was so soft suddenly, so it was a surprising counterpoint, a jolt when Haru drew Rin's thumb towards his mouth, wrapped his lips around it and scraped his bottom teeth over the rough pad of Rin's thumb.

It was such an intimate, unexpected motion, so fucking strange yet fitting for Haru himself that Rin was robbed of any capacity for backtalk. Haru swirled his tongue over Rin's thumb and it hit him right in the gut. In a split second he removed the thumb from Haru's mouth and kissed him, too hard at first. Their noses bumped together and his teeth caught on Haru's lip again.

This time Haru actually felt it, and even though he drew back, when he did Rin got to appreciate the entirely lucid gleam that was in Haru's eyes this time. This time Haru's body wasn't sweaty and overheated. He wasn't burning up from alcohol and being in a crowded room. He smelled clean and cool.

"Still want to apologize?" asked Rin. He ran his hands down Haru's neck, felt Haru shudder as Rin's fingers ran over his nape.

"No, I--" Rin cut him off again with his lips. He was enjoying the freedom he had, enjoying the way Haru reacted more openly now than he did in normal everyday interaction. "Rin. I don't regret--no, hold on. I don't regret kissing you, I just regret...the situation."

"Yeah." His voice was rougher, growlier than he had expected it to sound. Haru was holding him back by the wrists. "Yeah, I get it."

Haru let out another small sigh. He pressed their foreheads together, and Rin wanted to touch him so badly, but he let Haru hold his hands. Haru kissed him much more gently, and Rin tried to mimic him.

"This isn't going to work," said Rin. 

"What's wrong?"

"You're too soft."

Haru made a the amused/annoyed noise again. "Then what do you want?"

Rin thought about last night, about how angry he'd been, how in his mind's eye he'd seen Haru's face so clearly looking up at him from floor, how Haru, the real Haru, had pressed his body against him. All of that sounded amazing, but... "Not to be in the damn kitchen.. Come on."

They raced each other upstairs, which was dumb but they each seemed to decide on it individually. They reached the top of the stairs at the same time, and then they tried to body check each other at the same time, and then rolled on the floor and nearly knocked over Haru's grandmother's altar at the same time.

"Oh fuck," said Rin. He rolled on top of Haru and for a second neither of them could speak. Rin's chest hurt from laughing so hard, so now in addition to being sensitive and horny as fuck he was giddy and almost destroying treasured family relics. "Oh fuck, no, not Grandma," he said, gasping for air.

Haru grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him down, trying to kiss him but missing and pressing his mouth against the side of Rin's face.

"Fuck, Haru." He wasn't made of stone; he kissed back. His heart was beating quickly, he was dizzy and tired, his heart still hurt from laughter, so he kissed back for a second. "Haru, no, not in front of Grandma."

Haru's fists stayed clenched in Rin's jacket, kissing him with more vigor before breaking away. "It's just a picture. I really doubt she'd care," he said.

"What?" Rin sat up, and pulled Haru along with him. "God, you are so weird. Come on." 

In Haru's room, he sat down on the bed and pulled Haru towards him, so Haru was standing in front of Rin, between Rin's knees.

This was a flipped version of how Rin had seen this going, but he was just following his instincts; what else was there to do? He grabbed Haru by the hips, running his thumbs over the smooth fabric of his swim trunks before pressing his mouth against the cool skin of Haru's stomach.

The thing was, Haru was so much more sedate than most people. Shit, he was more sedate than some _lampposts_ Rin knew, for that matter. You had to study hard to see any reaction. The thing was, Rin had no doubt that there _was_ a reaction. The knowledge that Rin could always get a response from Haru, as minute as it was, was maybe why Haru had taken up so much presence in his mind for so long, even despite...everything else.

Haru was resting his hands on Rin's shoulders because apparently when they weren't wrestling or actively rolling around on the floor, Haru didn't know what to do with himself. Rin licked a line up the skin by Haru's navel and then dragged his teeth over it. Haru hissed and clenched his fists, which was a good start.

"Careful," said Haru.

"Wimp. I barely touched you." He stopped using his teeth, though, instead just pressed his lips over Haru's abdomen and pelvis.

"It's sensitive," said Haru, opening his mouth again as Rin kneaded his ass with his fingers, making Haru roll his hips towards Rin's open mouth. Yeah, no shit. That was kind of the point.

Rin just mouthed the fabric over Haru's cock, wetting it and listening to Haru's breath catch. "Rin," he said, and his voice was so much deeper than it usually was, or that was how it seemed to Rin. It seemed to strike a chord in Rin's spine and travel directly down to his dick. He kept at it, feeling Haru up through his trunks, pushing the bulge towards his open mouth. 

Haru's was quiet, but he rocked so willingly towards Rin's mouth, responding but not pushing for anything more than the pressure and heat of Rin's mouth over the fabric, and Rin, who was hard and straining but still had not touched himself, was trying to hold himself back, for sheer competition's sake. It annoyed him, that Haru was being so quiet when Rin wanted to scream with frustration.

Haru was being so quiet that Rin was surprised when suddenly he made a choked noise and in the next second was pushing Rin's head to the side, clenching a fist in Rin's hair. It was only when he collapsed slightly onto the bed, landing half on Rin's lap and half off, that Rin even realized what had happened. He looked down at the wet spot at the front of Haru's trunks and realized that it hadn't been caused only by his mouth.

"Holy shit," he said. "Did you just--"

"Shut up."

"I can't _believe_ \--"

"You're a pain," said Haru, pulling himself up to lay on the bed. 

"I literally did not even touch your dick," said Rin, "and you already shot your wad. Amazing."

Haru muttered something and peeled his wet swimsuit away from his body, throwing it aside. Rin took the moment to take off his own clothes (shit, he hadn't even gotten rid of his own jacket before that) but of course he had to surreptitiously check out what Haru looked like, had see to his own handiwork that he hadn't even been able to see while he was doing it.

Rin stood up to pull his shirt off, and then his pants. "Literally. I did not see that coming." Haru scoffed as Rin's heart began to beat a little faster. Being naked in front of somebody else wasn't really a novelty for him, but this was different. Haru seemed so unworried about lying there naked, so Rin decided he could be as well. He pushed his shorts down and it was finally then that Haru quit ignoring him, that Haru looked over and Rin felt his face turn red and hot despite himself.


	3. Chapter 3

He climbed back up on the bed and stretched out next to Haru. "You gonna return the favor?"

"Too much trouble."

"You are a piece of shit," said Rin. He propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at Haru and not speaking for a second. "Ok, this is weird."

Haru raised his eyebrows at Rin before shrugging and putting an arm over his eyes.

"Not the sex so much as the lying around naked in the middle of the day part," said Rin. "Not everyone's a freaky nudist like you are, Haru."

"Who told you I was a nudist?" 

"Makoto. He said he has to keep you from stripping all the damn time."

"I didn't know you had spoken that much to Makoto since you got back," said Haru, and the half of his face that was visible was grinning far too much for Rin's liking. "When was this?"

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm usually wearing a swimsuit. That's not really the same thing, is it?"

"Sure it isn't. Still makes you a perv, though."

Haru made a chuffing noise in the back of his throat, which was what passed for a laugh with him. "You're talking too much. You're ruining it."

"Ruining _what_?" said Rin. "The mood? Oh, and what a mood it was, too. You busting a nut two minutes into it ruins it a whole lot more than I'm ruining it."

"Shhh," said Haru, reaching out to pat whicher part of Rin was closest. His eyes were still covered.

Part of Rin was grateful Haru wasn't looking at him, but his pride (a not inconsequential part of him, surely) resented it. What annoyed him the most was how Haru was the one who kept doing embarrassing things but Rin was the one left feeling self-conscious and unsure of himself. What utter bullshit.

He'd been hoping that by talking-- _ruining_ it, as Haru had said-- he might calm down, but that wasn't happening. He was still jumpy. His face was hot but his body was cool, at least comparatively. His skin itched all over and his cock was rock-hard and pointing right at Haru no matter what he did. He was so hard he thought that if he touched himself-- or, if by some miracle, Haru did-- he would explode, embarrass himself worse than Haru had, although Haru did seem to have some hormonal imbalance where he was chemically unable to show any self-doubt at all. With a scoff, Rin finally gave up on the hope that Haru would initiate any contact and rolled over on his back. 

Or maybe, Rin thought, Haru had just gotten good at hiding the embarrassment, or had gotten used to weathering it. Being Haru in general, after all, had to be pretty embarrassing.

Rin was so busy smirking over that he didn't notice right away that Haru had sat up and was throwing one leg over Rin's body to straddle him. Rin only noticed, in fact, when he felt the cool pressure against his lower stomach and looked up to see Haru staring down at him with such a classic Haru expression he almost laughed out loud again.

He couldn't laugh, though. The sight of Haru naked _should_ have been laughable, because Haru's tan lines were so dramatic that his thighs were almost luminescently white in comparison with the rest of him, but Rin couldn't laugh at all. He didn't have the breath for it.

Haru leaned forward and squeezed Rin's body with his thighs. Rin jerked his hips up involuntarily, not to throw Haru off but to get closer to any possible warmth. Haru's skin was much cooler compared to his own. When he moved against Haru, it pushed his cock up into the cleft of Haru's ass, and _that_ was warm, at least. Rin let out a gasp before he could stop himself, because everything was dry but so warm and wonderful. He had to clench his hands, grit his teeth, just to stop himself from making more noise than the choked-off gasp he'd already let out.

"Rin," said Haru. Rin looked at him and saw that he'd been digging his nails into Haru's thighs, leaving angry red marks on the skin. Part of him was abashed and part felt a surge of desire to leave his mark on Haru in this way: physical, if nothing else. He wanted to leave marks on Haru that would normally be covered up, that nobody else could see.

Haru stretched out, running his hands over Rin's chest, seemingly oblivious to both the marks scored into his leg muscles and Rin's dick, which was pressed between them, pressed against Haru's own, in fact. Rin closed his eyes and tried to keep still, even when Haru ran over his nipples, flicked his fingers against them.

Haru was right over him; Rin could feel his breath on his cheek, but Rin continued looking of to the side. He was trying to calm down, or at least lower his heart rate through sheer force of will. It was something he'd done before, after all. He wanted to at least make it seem like he wasn't in a full-body swoon over two seconds of rubbing their dicks together.

It _was_ reasonably swoon-worthy, though. Haru rolled his hips and a wave of pleasure washed over Rin's whole body like a shiver. Before Rin could adequately recover, Haru was muttering in his ear. 

"What's wrong? Too soft?"

"Yeah," said Rin, his voice shaking. "Sure."

Haru made the chuffing noise in the back of his throat again. It sounded more like a horse blowing air through its nostrils than actual laughter, but Rin didn't have the breath to spare to say this.

He did find his voice again, somewhat, when Haru's tongue snaked into his ear, and then when Haru bit down suddenly on the lobe.

"Not so loud," said Haru, softly. Much, much too softly. 

" _Fuck_ ," said Rin, and his hands were back at Haru's thighs and ass, squeezing and pressing down and doing anything possible to increase the contact between them. Haru was rocking back against him, but not enough for Rin. At this rate Rin would get off only after another hour or so of exuberant humping. He strained upward and was surprised he didn't draw blood on Haru's thighs with how tight his grip was.

He wanted to touch himself, wanted Haru to reach down and touch him with those cool hands holding him down on the bed, but Haru taking the initiative himself was out of the question, and Rin couldn't bear to ask, couldn't stand the humiliation, if that was what it was. He didn't even fucking know anymore. All he knew was that he wanted more of Haru than he could take, more than Haru would (or could) give him.

"Rin," said Haru, and suddenly his mouth was against Rin's face and nuzzling his cheek. "Rin," he said, and the tone in his voice asked the question: _what's wrong?_

And it was only then, with a dropping sensation in his stomach that only made his ever-present boner feel weirder, that Rin realized that wasn't sweat on his cheek that Haru was nosing at, those were tears. He was fucking _crying_ , and it was only because the universe hated him that he didn't drop dead right there.

The universe at least gave him a few seconds to adjust and be able to speak again. He grabbed Haru's hand and when he spoke his voice was rough. " _Touch_ me, you asshole," he said, guiding Haru's hand down.

Haru took to it so simply it was maddening. He wrapped his hand around Rin's cock like it wasn't even a thing, like it hadn't occurred to him until now that that might be a nice thing to do. 

"You'd think you never jacked anyone off before," said Rin, and now that he was finally looking he could see Haru's small grin. The sight made something inside Rin hurt, made him wanting to clutch Haru to his chest until his face was fucking dry again.

That would have meant impeding Haru's hand, though, and Rin wasn't about to do that.

At some point, Rin grabbed Haru's free hand because Haru had been stroking his cheek like he was trying to dry the tear tracks, and fuck that. Rin dug his nails into the meat of Haru's palm, hard enough to leave marks again, probably.

"Does it hurt?" asked Haru suddenly. Maybe because Rin's face was still wet, and Rin's throat was still choked up even as he rolled his hips into Haru's hand.

"Of course not," snapped Rin. Haru's hand on his cock was a little dry, but not painful. The reason Rin was crying was completely unrelated. He was over-tired, probably. He wasn't sure and he wasn't even going to bother giving an excuse Haru hadn't even asked for.

Haru had his own ideas, apparently, because he let go of Rin and crawled over him. Rin looked up and through his blurry vision he saw Haru reaching over to the bedside table. He blinked and could make out with increased clarity the extended lines of Haru's neck and chin, and had to quell the urge to reach up and bite the hollow of Haru's throat.

"Sit up," said Haru. Rin pushed himself up against pillows and watched Haru wrap his now slick hand-- he'd used lotion or lube or something or other, Rin couldn't make it out-- around Rin's cock again. 

He looked up and saw Haru watching him intently. A few minutes ago this might have made Rin self-conscious, but with his cheeks still wet and his hands trembling like they were, Rin couldn't feel anything at all except Haru's hand.

"Have you done this before?" Haru asked. His voice was even quieter than normal.

"Done what? Jacked off?"

"No, I mean--"

Rin knew what he meant. "No," he said with a small sigh.

"I haven't either."

"I'm shocked, absolutely shocked." 

Haru chuffed again and squeezed Rin's cock harder for one perfect moment. Haru's general approach to jacking off was a bit too soft. Rin wondered if this was just a matter of taste, or a matter of inexperience. He wondered to himself how often Haru did this alone, and how he did it. Haru's fingers were finer than his were, but too tentative. Rin wrapped his own hand around Haru's, guiding him through the motions, making him squeeze harder. Against Haru's, the pads of Rin's own fingers felt huge and clumsy, but they were infinitely more sure of themselves here.

Still, Haru had gotten him close, and Haru knew it. Hiding his face was Rin's only way of keeping it cool, and he couldn't even do that. Haru was right up against his forehead and holding onto Rin's other hand, practically inviting him to squeeze it as hard as he liked.

Suddenly Haru was right next to his ear again. He was speaking so low it might have been completely indistinguishable if Rin had been aware of everything Haru was doing. "When you didn't come to practice today," he said, "I thought I had ruined everything."

"Haru." He opened his eyes.

"I thought you'd never come back," said Haru, working Rin's cock by himself now. "I thought we'd never swim together again, and I'd--"

Rin caved, finally. He was strong, but not that strong. He buried his face into Haru's neck and tried to stop the noises leaving his throat and the tears that were gumming up his eyelids again, but it was useless, as useless as trying to stop himself from coming when Haru squeezed him once more.

His vision whited out for a second, and when he came to he was squeezing Haru hard enough to quell the shaking in his limbs, and Haru was still speaking. "I thought I'd never get to tell you...how it really was. Without you, I mean. For all those years."

Rin sighed again and rubbed his eyes. He thought Haru definitely didn't jack off enough if he thought now was a good time to talk about this, but at least Rin had found his voice again and could speak without shaking. "And how was that?"

"Awful," said Haru. "It's awful swimming without you."

"Awful. You don't mean that."

"It's better," Haru insisted. "It is."

"Alright." He squeezed Haru again and finally made himself sit up straight. Even if he had wanted to try, Rin couldn't make himself doubt Haru anymore. "Alright. You're right." Between the two of them was a huge mess, but Haru didn't care and Rin was the farthest from giving a fuck. "You were right. I do want to...."

"To swim again," prompted Haru.

"I was gonna say I wanted to make you come when you're not wearing your damn swimsuit sometime," said Rin. "You've got messed-up priorities, you know that?" He shook his head. "But yeah. That too." 

Haru rested his head against Rin's shoulder. Rin could feel him smiling without even having to see him.

~

Even though most agreed that the party at Haruka's house had been a dismal failure, Nagisa started pushing for a second act almost immediately.

"Come _on_ ," said Nagisa, for not the first time. "You didn't even get in trouble for it last time!"

"Yes he did," said Makoto. "Tamura-san down the way heard everyone leaving and called Haru's parents in the morning."

"Oh." Nagisa deflated noticeably. "Did they chew you out, Haru-chan?"

Haru shrugged, and Makoto translated. "They didn't actually believe Tamura-san's story, I don't think? They seemed to think that she was confused about which house she heard the noise from. She is getting pretty old, after all."

Both Haru and Makoto knew that this was a grave misestimation of their neighbor's faculties, but it made Nagisa's face light up again. He grabbed Haru's arm. "It's perfect! You have the perfect story, Haru-chan, and this time you'll know your alcohol limits well enough--"

Nagisa was cut off by a loud bark of a laugh. They all turned from their spot on the the bench. Everyone had started to get used to having Rin around, but occasions when he smiled or laughed (even slightly unkindly, as he was doing now) were still strange. "That's a matter of opinion. Are you guys gonna sit around party-planning forever or are you going to get ready for regionals? Haru." He tossed the goggles whose straps he'd been adjusting over the bench. "Let's get to it."

Haru caught the goggles and stared after Rin for a second. "Sure," he said finally, but before he followed Nagisa was pulling at his arm again.

"We can have a party after regionals," Haru told him. "At your house this time, ok?"

"Never mind that now," said Nagisa. "What happened with you and Rin-chan?"

"What happened," repeated Haru, as Kou scoffed.

"Don't be silly," she told Nagisa. "Nothing happened. Onii-chan is just...more open now. That's all."

"Nagisa-kun, you were the one who said Rin-san is much friendlier than he used to be," said Rei, who had been stretching the entire time they'd been talking.

"Yes, but _something_ must have happened at Haru-chan's--"

"Never mind!" Kou stood up and pointed to the newly-clean Samezuka pool, whose lanes were starting to fill up as more members arrived at the joint practice session. "Do you think we brought you all the way here for you to gossip? Get to work!"

Nagisa was tenacious enough, but he knew when discretion was the better part of valor. He ran after the rest of his team, catching up to Haru and Rin just as they had gotten in line for warm-ups.

"It was the Iwatobi-chans that did it, wasn't it," he muttered to Haru, who raised his eyebrows and turned around.

"What?"

"The Iwatobi-chans. The keychains. I told you they drive people away." In front of them, Rin was climbing up onto the starting block. He dove off at the sound of the whistle and Haru took his place, but Nagisa still kept talking. "You don't have them anymore, and your luck has changed. Now that you've gotten rid of them..."

Haru shook his head and didn't bother responding. The whistle blew and he dove into the lane after Rin.


End file.
